The record and worrying increase in global CO2 concentration is attributed to several factors. On the one hand, the periodic climatic event El Niño, which recently ended, contributed to the increase. On the other hand, continued and increasing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are also to blame.
CO2 at a level never reached in 14 million years
“ It is very significant to see the rapidity of the increase in the first four months of this year, which is also a record “, explains Ralph Keeling, director of the CO2 program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
Global CO2 measurements are taken from a station on the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Since records began by Charles Keeling in 1958, CO2 concentrations have continued to increase each year, reaching new world records for annual emissions.
Rapidly rising levels of CO2, the main greenhouse gas, threaten the planet with catastrophic climate change, such as intense heat waves, floods, droughts and wildfires. Before humans began emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide through the burning of fossil fuels, CO2 levels were stable at around 280 ppm (parts per million) for almost 6,000 years of human civilization. The increase to 426 ppm represents a 50% increase over pre-industrial levels and the highest level reached in millions of years.
The phenomenon known as the “Keeling Curve” shows this continued increase in CO2 and illustrates how the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This curve has become a symbol of the global climate problem.
Scientists estimate that current CO2 levels have not been seen for around 14 million years, during which time the climate was very different from today. Recent research indicates that the climatic conditions of that time would be totally alien to us as human beings.
The previous annual record for CO2 increases was set in 2016, also during an El Niño event, which temporarily causes global temperatures to rise. Although the rate of carbon dioxide growth is expected to return to a more standard annual increase of 2 to 3 ppm after this latest El Niño ends, that hardly represents cause for comfort.
“ The rate of increase will almost certainly decrease, but it continues to increase “, says Ralph Keeling. “ To stabilize the climate, the level of CO2 would have to decrease, which is clearly not the case. Human activity has caused CO2 levels to explode. This makes me sad more than anything. It’s sad what we do “.
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